Entegra purchased by Thor

[plasma800]

I should have bought 20k in THOR stock on the 27th.... shoot

[Mike&Chris]

This news is very disappointing to me as well. Our 2017 Anthem is our first MH. We narrowed it down to Entegra and Newmar and went with the Anthem because of the reputation for customer service, the 2 year warranty and the quality look and feel of the coach. Needless to say, I'm now kicking myself for not going with Newmar. I would never buy any Thor product, not even a pop up.

It seems to me the only choice we owners have is to hope for the best and continue to enjoy our coach and the travel it allows us. In my professional life I spent 35 years with the same family run business. The last half of my career I was in upper management. Near the end of my career the family (two brothers) sold to a larger public company. They stayed on to run the business but when it came to major decisions impacting bottom line or long term strategy they no longer called th shots. Fortunately the new billion dollar company realized the value of our brand and worked hard to maintain our reputation with our customers and in the industry. They were all about the bottom line but they did not sacrifice the brand to get there, let's hope Thor will follow a similar path.

Meantime, I can sell or trade my Anthem and take a financial beating or I can enjoy it for many miles and smiles. So that's a pretty easy decision. Although I do admit it is very concerning that a company with the reputation of Thor is counting the beans!

[plasma800]

Originally Posted by Mike&Chris

This news is very disappointing to me as well. Our 2017 Anthem is our first MH. We narrowed it down to Entegra and Newmar and went with the Anthem because of the reputation for customer service, the 2 year warranty and the quality look and feel of the coach. Needless to say, I'm now kicking myself for not going with Newmar. I would never buy any Thor product, not even a pop up.

It seems to me the only choice we owners have is to hope for the best and continue to enjoy our coach and the travel it allows us. In my professional life I spent 35 years with the same family run business. The last half of my career I was in upper management. Near the end of my career the family (two brothers) sold to a larger public company. They stayed on to run the business but when it came to major decisions impacting bottom line or long term strategy they no longer called th shots. Fortunately the new billion dollar company realized the value of our brand and worked hard to maintain our reputation with our customers and in the industry. They were all about the bottom line but they did not sacrifice the brand to get there, let's hope Thor will follow a similar path.

Meantime, I can sell or trade my Anthem and take a financial beating or I can enjoy it for many miles and smiles. So that's a pretty easy decision. Although I do admit it is very concerning that a company with the reputation of Thor is counting the beans!

I wouldn't be disappointed, Thor really does let their subsidiaries work as they always have. I'm a believer that this will be a positive move and I wouldn't give it a second thought.

[BigmoneySr]

Originally Posted by hogdriver

I'm subscribing to the Newmar forum

I'm with you Dave, this really sucks

[plasma800]

Heck if anything, I think I'd be more inclined to go WHEW! Cause now you know for a fact Entegra won't go belly up for a long time.... Thor parent is going to protect that entity like no bodies business. This is a major achievement with a LOT of dollars behind it, and solidly confirms them as a major player. They are smart buying quality brands... unlike the REV group who is trying to resurrect dead brands - I guess they are cheaper to acquire though....

[plasma800]

Operating Entities - Thor Industries, Inc.

REV Group, Inc. – Vehicle Manufacturers – Specialty Vehicles

[jmon129]

Originally Posted by plasma800

I don't think you'll see any changes to Entegra accept for maybe more money to do a better job.

Almost all brands of RV are owned by some larger holding company.

And congrats to Entegra for even building a brand that could go that far!

Let's not forget Thor also operates Airstream and DRV, neither of which suffered any quality.

Now I guess it's time for the big 3 to duke it out......
Thor, REV Group, and Forest River..... Between the three, they own, I bet, 95% of the RV's built.

Seems as if Airstream left the MH building business all together. As far as DRV, talk to an engineer that is now under the Thor umbrella. Not happy people, the production of a DRV 5th wheel id time consuming and labor intensive. Wait until you see the 2019 DRV product, from what I hear, it will no longer be what it was.
As far as I'm concerned, this is a bad move for me. At one time Country Coach was pushing Newmar, Travel Supreme, Monaco and a few others for the best quality coach in the market. In the long run, the Motive for Entegra went from the best MH to a profitable division of THOR.

[CoreyinWP]

First model rumor ....entegra Thornerstone DEQ

[voltdoc]

Not happy about this either, never owned a Thor but we visited the Thor Elkhart motorhome factory in 2012. There were many aspects of that plant in which we were not impressed to say the least and we never considered the product.

However, this past May we visited and toured the Airstream plant. We did not observe any of the bad practices we saw at the Elkhart Thor plant. The brand is more popular and solidly "riveted" than ever. Sales are very strong and demand is high. The materials used appeared to be high quality, well engineered and the construction techniques classic Airstream. Many Airstream owners will tell you the build quality today is better than ever and CS is very good. The Thor buyout was way back in 1979 and the employees at the plant today seemed full of pride and enthusiasm for the product they produced.

In 2003 Thor bought Damon and I think that was the motorhome plant we visited in Elkhart. Now if Thor truly lets their divisions run autonomously, I wonder if the issues with the product at the ex Damon division are just that division being left to its own (admittedly poor) practices? Don't know just theorizing.

At the moment our recent visit to Airstream has given us encouragement that Entegra will be left to continue on its own and to thrive and improve. I don't think there's any reason to panic.

[jmon129]

Originally Posted by CoreyinWP

First model rumor ....entegra Thornerstone DEQ

Well Played!

[dave&ginny]

THIS IS TRULY A SAD DAY!!!

When shopping for my RV I had someone tell me about this great company called Entegra and soon the other name that came up was Joyce. I realize Joyce has a team behind her but she's truly a remarkable woman that seems to care about everyone she meets.

Thor on the other hand has earned their reputation as well and within a few years, the management will change at Entegra and the service will slowly go away along with the customer support. After every acquisition the same phrase is used."This is great news and nothing will change, we'll even keep the same management team". Those dry meaningless words always sound the same to me. Like a politician before an election, all hot air! The sad part is that they've gotten so big that they acquire everyone. Who's next on the chopping block, Foretravel, Newmar maybe Tiffin?

When Ginny and I came back from the Spring Fling we were discussing a new Cornerstone and in the near future there was a pretty good probability we were going to pull the trigger......not anymore. I'll keep the Aspire as long as they'll service it, but I thank God I didn't buy a Cornerstone. A $260K is enough to lose under the disguise of mobile freedom.

Ginny and I met while we were camping when we were only 12 years old. Now we've been married for 38+ years and we've continued camping with a dream of going full time within a few years and enjoying the freedom that the lifestyle affords us. Entegra seemed to be the answer but now I think the Aspire will be our last RV. Why invest the money to later hear ......SORRY now the management has changed and we don't do that service anymore.

I think we're going to be looking for the right locations for a few strategically place houses.

[Tonyd51]

As with most take overs, or should I say sale, of companies, the management team will stay in tacked until the transition is complete. Even if this is not so, as time goes on, Thor will put its policies in place and all will have to follow or take a hike. The reputation of Thor speaks for itself and is not highly regarded as good. Maybe fair to poor at best. I wish everyone the best.


Tony
2014 Anthem 44B
2011 Honda CRV

[Johnnypac]

Originally Posted by CoreyinWP

First model rumor ....entegra Thornerstone DEQ

Actually it will be the Entegra Tombstone.......

[Smitty3509]

Hurry and buy your 2017 now! What ever the future, the '17 will be the last orginal Entegra.